Thursday, August 9, 2018

SUMMERSLAM 2018 PREDICTIONS, MATCH ORDER AND HOLY SHIT RATINGS

I’m
really looking forward to this SUMMERSLAM. It’s been quite a while since a card
on a major WWE PPV feels as fully formed over a week out from the event…and by
and large it makes sense. What is really exciting here is that there are so
many permutations as to how the main event, which I assume will be Brock Lesnar
vs. Roman Reigns, will play out; and there’s a “Money in the Bank” contract
match which will factor into all this…oh and then there’s the whole Paul Heyman
situation. I can’t remember a WWE storyline with so many possibilities, not
that the WWE can’t figure out a way to screw this all up and leave the fans
confused and disappointed…and as good as this PPV could be it will again be
overshadowed by NXT TAKEOVER which invades Brooklyn’s Barclay Center the night before.

As of
now there are eleven matches on the card and I have to believe that there will
be a few modifications and probably two pre-show matches. Here are my
predictions, match order and “Holy Shit” (💩) expectations for the event. If
need be I will update all this after the RAW and SMACKDOWN LIVE “Go Home”
shows.

Here
we go gang

The
Miz vs. Daniel Bryan💩💩💩1/2 (Match Order: Seventh) Here’s
where the card kicks it up a notch. I know this looks like a low “Holy Shit”
score but I think that this is the beginning of a long program that may take us
all the way to WRESTLEMANIA so they can’t leave it all in the ring…unless Bryan
does not re-sign in which case this is a 💩💩💩💩💩 match. Miz will win in some
questionable way but strap in for months of this feud.

The
Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)💩1/2 (Match Order: Sixth) God I
hope it’s the New Day but I think the Bludgees retain in a short match. A shame
given the phenomenal ND/Bar match on SMACKDOWN.

UPDATE: It's my prerogative to change my mind and, given the in-ring level that the New Day is operating at right now I think they will take back the belts.

Dolph
Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins (Intercontinental Championship)💩💩💩💩 (Match Order: Fourth) These guys
can wrestle but this has been going on for so long. I guess Seth wins with Drew
McIntyre stepping in for Rollins’ next program. Dean Ambrose may appear here
either to help or turn on Rollins.

UPDATE: Well Ambrose showed up on Monday and looked fantastic. This match is going to be pandemonium and should set up many story lines for these solid performers. I'm elevating the "Holy Shit" level to 💩💩💩💩💩

Shinsuke
Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy (United States Championship)💩💩💩1/2 (Match Order: Second) This
should be a solid match and keep the buzz going from the KO/Strowman battle.
The WWE has prevented Shinsuke from realizing his full potential having totally
blown his program with AJ Styles which I thought would steal the show at
WRESTLEMANIA. There are rumors Nakamura may be returning to NJPW but I think he
will retain. Oh, and Randy Orton will play some role here probably helping
Shinsuke win and then turning on him.

Braun
Strowman vs. Kevin Owens (Money in the Bank contract is on the line)💩💩💩💩 (Match Order: First) I know that
you want to start with an action-packed, high-flying battle and these two lunks,
although they can move, will not deliver that kind of match. However, this
battle will have a major impact on the main event and the result can play
through the rest of the four plus hour show which leads me to believe that
Kevin Owens (my hero) is going to find a way to wrest the MITB briefcase from
Strowman and factor into the Lesnar/Reigns outcome.

UPDATE: Given Monday's RAW it's clear that Paul Heyman is going to play a significant role here. A Heyman/KO alliance with KO holding the belt would be awesome. I'll hold out hope.

Carmella
vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte (SmackDown Women's Championship)💩💩1/2 (Match Order: Third) Two of
these women can wrestle and one cannot and she will retain in a way where Becky
and Charlotte will start their program.

Alexa
Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey (Raw Women's Championship)💩💩💩💩 (Match Order: Ninth) I have
become a Ronda Rousey believer and she will defeat Miss Bliss who will put in a
surprisingly solid performance here and there will be a Natty turn either
during or before the match. This could turn into a three against one (with
Mickie James thrown in) to give Rousey a daunting challenge. Guaranteed to
exceed expectations.

UPDATE: Well Natty is probably out for this Sunday and if she does show up I doubt she will turn on Rousey. Also it appears that Alicia Fox is the new Mickie James. I haven no idea how all this will impact the match but I still think that there will be a title change here.

AJ
Styles vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Championship)💩💩💩💩💩 (Match Order: Eighth) This will be
the match of the night with two veterans who know each other really well and,
you may remember, both had top shelf contests against Brock Lesnar in the past
year. It’s going to be a brutal strong style match. Should be Joe but I think
AJ retains.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (Universal Championship)💩💩💩💩1/2 (Main Event) What’s really
exciting isn’t the match itself which will be brutal, violent and fairly quick
but what happens before and especially after. I’m assuming Heyman does not come
down with either of these dudes. There are so many possibilities but the one I’m
rooting for is a Reigns win and an Owens run in to beat an exhausted Reigns for
the belt and then an alignment with Heyman. If I’m wrong about KO then Strowman
runs in and Roman beats him as well to overcome the two monsters, solidify his
position as top dog and then turns with Heyman as his advocate. The
anticipation for this will be huge.To summarize in match order and projected winner (*)Strowman v. Owens* 💩💩💩💩Nakamora* v. Hardy 💩💩💩1/2Carmella* v. Lynch v. Charlotte 💩💩1/2Ziggler v. Rollins* 💩💩💩💩💩Corbin v. Balor* 💩Bludgeon Bros. v. New Day* 💩1/2Miz* v. Bryan 💩💩💩1/2Styles* v. Joe 💩💩💩💩💩Rousey* v. Bliss 💩💩💩💩Reigns* v. Lesnar 💩💩💩💩1/2